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Strata's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Originality | #1 | 4.692 | 4.692 |
| Theme | #49 | 4.077 | 4.077 |
| Overall | #53 | 3.821 | 3.821 |
| Music | #59 | 3.538 | 3.538 |
| Art | #64 | 3.769 | 3.769 |
| Gameplay | #221 | 2.615 | 2.615 |
| Is the graphics 1 bit? | #231 | 4.231 | 4.231 |
Ranked from 13 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
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Comments
I like the aesthetic of this incredible piece. For me, this is more like interactive art than a game (in a good way).
Thanks, mate! I definitely straddled that line and feel I often went on both sides of it!
I enjoy these abstract mystery system games. This one is fun to fiddle with for a while. The sandbox is cool, but I do agree with some other commenters about adding a goal, or some way to "progress." I trust that if you guys can come up with this, you can come up with a way to turn it into a game with a goal and a challenge. I hope you do.
These are super encouraging words! Thanks so much for your support, mate. I really considered this project a one-and-done thing, to be honest. But kind and encouraging feedback like yours is making me reconsider a bit. Thank you very much
The experience of watching cells grow is really relaxing. However, the lack of a clear goal feels like both a strength and a limitation. While it makes me feel free and want to keep playing, it also feels like it could benefit from more content. Also, the music is great!
Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it! I like the way you phrased it. I’m thinking maybe the experience would be improved by offering precisely both modes: a free, relaxed mode and a different, more scenario/mission based mode? In my head these two approaches were always in opposition but… why not both? Thanks for this light bulb!
I love cellular automata, this is the kind of game I would have been obsessed with back in school :)
Would be nice if there’s an option to increase the simulation speed!
Wow, thanks for your enthusiasm! Really happy it resonated with you!
Indeed, there’s no way to increase the speed. You can however pause using Space, and then while paused press X to manually advance one day. And using that system, the simulation speed limit becomes just how fast you can mash X! :P
Really nice and unique game experience.
Sadly there's not much story or game completion as it can be played infinately. I would love to see made this type of game into some story or levels to beat :)
Good job with music and art ;)
Keep it up!
Thanks a lot for your kind words! Indeed, lack of structure and clear goals seems to be a recurring critic 😅 Thanks for the encouraging words! Let’s see what the future holds!
It's a really complex simulation but I don't really like it as a game, mostly because it feels unwinnable. I want to solve it like a puzzle, figuring out what the top floor layout could be to have the least amount of squares as possible. But it's hard to figure out the algorithm, I wish there were hints for each floor what the algorithm is. Love the complexity of the game, and the storytelling/message I can interpret from it is really well done as well. Maybe it shouldn't be balanceable or winnable after all? I can see there went a lot of thought into this
Thanks a lot for your well thought comment! I understand what you say; I admit I developed Strata in equal parts art piece and game. Most of the effort went towards caring for the overall experience and telling the story I wanted to tell, and less so in making an engaging and fun game. These two directions frequently contended with one another, and in doubt I went with the art, acknowledging it would make for a worse video-game
As I wasn’t sure how to turn cellular automata into a game to begin with, this was an exercise of pure experimentation to see what would come out of it. And as such comments like yours are gold for whatever (if anything) will come next for these ideas. So thanks a lot!
A gamejam is perfectly suited for this kind of experimentation :) And to be honest, I don't think the fact that your project isn't "gamey" in a sense means that it's a worse idea. I think with more time you could develop this idea into both a great game and art piece!
Thanks mate, that’s really kind of you, I appreciate it
This is captivating! The topmost stratum inevitably gets filled up and completely stifles the economy while the bottom layers constantly need to be renewed and struggle to keep up. I’m not the only one who’s seeing a metaphor here right? :p
The visual style and music accompanying the simulation make this a meditative experience and I was surprised to find myself transfixed. Wonderful work!
Wow, thank you so much for your wonderful review! Hahaha the metaphor is totally intended ;) I’m very happy you got to really dive in and have a pleasant time. I really appreciate the time and attention you put in it, thank you
Cool game, it is like complexer version of game of live i think the first floor even have same rules. I like the visuals even when they aren't truly one-bit.
Thanks mate! Yes, all of the floors run indeed the same algorithm as Game of Life, but none have the exact same rules of less than 2 neighbors is underpopulation, more than 3 is overpopulation and with exactly 3 neighbors a dead cell lives; these numbers are tweaked differently in all floors
Very very cool! Like others have said, the simulation vibe is unique and challenging in a way I haven't seen in this jam yet. Neat concept!
Thanks a ton, mate! Yeah, I’ve played many cool games here already, but I didn’t find other simulation projects yet. Here’s hoping, it’s a cool genre!
Fun game! My population grows and shines from start and then just extincts in seconds and all because top layer. Cells on top is most lazy, they need so much to generate nothing lol. Is it really possible to balance or this how it should be?
Also i found that layer 1-2 have "Game of Life" kind of behavior that is cool detail.
Thanks mate! You really got into it, I’m glad!
The system is always trying to unbalance itself due to the top layers being so lazy, as you say. So you have to intervene all the time to balance it again. I don’t think it’s possible to have it remain balanced forever
Good atmosphere in this game. I don't really know what I'm doing, but it seems like that is part of the point. Cool idea.
Thanks, mate! Yeah, it really is part of the point. I like these kinds of arcane simulations that you need to poke and prod to figure out, hopefully it resonates with others too